REDEMPTION
Words: Joseph Swain (1761-1796). A description of Christ
by his graces and power. From Solomon's Song.
Tune: DAVIS, Missouri Harmony, p. 35.
O thou in whose presence my soul takes delight,
On whom in affliction I call,
My comfort by day, and my song in the night,
My hope, my salvation, my all.
Where dost thou at noon-tide resort with thy sheep,
To feed on the pasture of love?
For why in the valley of death should I weep,
Or alone in the wilderness rove?
O why should I wander an alien from thee,
And cry in the desert for bread?
My foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see,
And smile at the tears I have shed.
Ye daughters of Zion declare, have ye seen
The Star that on Israel shone?
Say if in your tents my beloved hath been,
And where with his flocks he is gone.
This is my beloved: his form is divine;
His vestments shed odours around;
The locks on his head are as grapes on the vine,
When autumn with plenty is crown'd.
The roses of Sharon, the lillies that grow
In vales, on the banks of the streams:
His cheeks in the beauties of excellence blow,
And his eyes are as quivers of beams.
His voice, as the sound of the dulcimer sweet,
Is heard through the shadows of death;
The cedars of Lebanon bow at his feet,
The air is perfum'd with his breath.
His lips as a fountain of righteousness flow,
That waters the garden of grace,
From which their salvation the gentiles shall know,
And bask in the smiles of his face.
Love sits on his eye-lids, and scatters delight
Through all the bright mansions on high;
Their faces the cherubim veil in his sight,
And tremble with fullness of joy.
He looks, and ten thousands of angels rejoice,
And myriads wait for his word;
He speaks, and eternity, fill'd with His voice,
Re-echoes the praise of her Lord.